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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655972">checkmate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vennilave/pseuds/vennilave'>vennilave</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, F/M, Near Death, blood and daggers, levi is a captain in the kings guard, oc is a commander of the queens guard, they're fighting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:16:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655972</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vennilave/pseuds/vennilave</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>you find levi in a precarious position. or you’re the commander of the queensguard and levi is a seemingly blind follower of his mad king.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi &amp; Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is based on that post on tumblr...you know the one</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“If you had </span>
  <em>
    <span>listened </span>
  </em>
  <span>to me,” You hiss, pressing the jagged edge of your dagger against his throat further, “We wouldn’t be in this position, now would we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi stares up at you defiantly, eyes slick like steel but the corners of his mouth are curved. Something malicious sparks behind the grey of his eyes, and you can’t help but wonder if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoys</span>
  </em>
  <span> this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose not,” Levi drawls, “Since you know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, princess</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nickname incenses you, as it always does. He’s mocking you and you both know it. His knees are stinging from kneeling on the concrete ground for this long, but he’d rather </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span> before showing you that weakness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t have lost your squad,” You say derisively, “Your stupid, foolish king wouldn’t have sent you on a suicide mission. It’s too bad you and your commander blindly follow…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After all, we’ve got a use for lap dogs like you both in my queensguard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The setting wounds on his chest and his thighs sting, but it’s nothing compared to your words. He knows you’re right, but he’d rather choke on his own blood than admit it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” You sneer, dragging the curved end of the dagger over the already ripped collar of his thin linen shirt. Dried blood cakes his clavicle- is it his, or someone else’s? Does it matter?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You thread the end of your icy, blue dagger through the rip of his shirt and tug on it forcefully, the sound of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>rip</span>
  </em>
  <span> piercing the tense silence in the room. The expanse of his chest is exposed to you and you grin at him mirthlessly, dragging your dagger across his skin. He can’t stop himself from gasping at the coldness of the weapon and it only causes your smirk to deepen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I untie you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Levi</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” You murmur, tilting his chin up with the edge of your dagger, “Or should I leave you here? For your mad king to discover you and have you </span>
  <em>
    <span>hanged</span>
  </em>
  <span> for betrayal…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to die here with your comrades as a memory or do you want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi’s eyes flash and you bare your teeth at him. You snake a hand in his dark hair, somehow still silky and soft even throughout all of the bloodshed and pull his hair back so he’s looking you in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Answer me, Levi. Do you want to live by my hand? Or do you want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>rot</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your own filth?” You sneer, dark eyes full of flames. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi is about to get burned, and he knows it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me live-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let you </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Commander.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Let me live, </span>
  <em>
    <span>commander,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He grits his teeth, silver bullets piercing right through your armor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your smile is wild and unnerving. Like you. He supposes you don’t get to be the commander of the queensguard without a little recklessness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seal it with a kiss then,” You murmur, reaching behind him to untie the ropes around his wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You would be so lucky,” Levi scoffs, rubbing his now freed wrists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was lucky,” You nod, “You forgetting about </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Levi’s wrists are free and he has some feeling in them, he lunges for your dagger and pushes it to the side, far away from either of you. Annoyance licks his normally calm eyes and it makes your heart race and your lips curl into a smirk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi pushes you to the concrete ground, your back flat against the stone and you gasp, ignoring the fluttering in your belly. A hand wraps around your throat with enough pressure to stroke the </span>
  <em>
    <span>princess</span>
  </em>
  <span> in you, as he calls you so </span>
  <em>
    <span>affectionately</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You talk too fuckin’ much,” Levi mumbles before harshly slamming his warm lips to yours and stealing the breath straight from your lungs. You unashamedly moan into his mouth, fingers careless and pushing against his exposed, bruised chest. He groans in pain when you touch the tender spot over his ribs, but you only smirk into his kiss and press </span>
  <em>
    <span>harder</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can’t handle a little pain, baby?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. lullaby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>you’re on the verge of death, and you somehow find levi.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>based on a prompt request (in bold) sent to me on tumblr @ vennilavee. enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Darkness dots your eyes, the sweet pull of unconscious coaxing you closer and closer to sleep. But you can’t, you <em>have </em>to keep pushing. So you drag yourself through the corridor lined with cobblestone and concrete, your sword in your hand and your other hand squeezing the wound on your right side tightly.</p><p>A sharp inhale. A sharp exhale. A sharp inhale. A sharp exhale. The taste of blood lines your lips, but you keep going. Just a little farther, with only the dim flame of torches lined along the concrete walls to light the way.</p><p>You had been ambushed. Most, if not all, of your Queensguard was dead. Killed by the orders of the Mad King himself. </p><p>You couldn’t think about <em>how</em> this could have happened. If you did, then you might just <em>die</em> right here. Underground, below the castle. Trying to make your way to Levi. The thought of him, makes your head swim. </p><p>You cough and spit up blood on your boots. Fuck.</p><p>You’re almost there.</p><p>***</p><p>Levi is rushing to pack his things, only what’s necessary. Only what he needs. He had heard of the news that the Mad King had ordered the hit on the Queensguard. He has no idea if the Queen herself was alive. Truly, he doesn’t care- he wants to find <em>you</em>. Are you alive? Did you survive the ambush in the cellars of the castle?</p><p>There’s no way you could have. He wishes he could rely on a gut feeling, but the truth is- there’s no way he would know. Should he leave? Should he stay, and find you in the blood and destruction?</p><p>The rational part of him tells him that he should leave. That whoever is still alive can come with him, but that he needs to leave this awful place. Another part of him tells him that he needs to be the one to kill the Mad King.</p><p>If you’re dead, he just might.</p><p>And then another part of him tells him to search for you. To find you and whisk you away from here and live far, far away from all of <em>this</em>.</p><p>Before he can make a decision, he hears a loud thump outside of his door. Levi grabs a knife just in case and throws his door open, ready to pounce on whoever it was.</p><p>But the sight in front of him has him on his knees in an instant. It’s you, draped in blood and fatigue on the floor. </p><p>“Fuck,” Levi mutters. You would laugh if you were certain it wouldn’t kill you.</p><p>He carefully but urgently picks you up and lays you in his bed. You feel as though you’re floating, dreams replaying behind your eyelids. Memories of you and Levi, in this very bed. Memories of sweet, salty, sweaty skin with only the moon and the stars as witness.</p><p>And now you were going to bleed out in his bed. You were about to die in his bed. How poetic.</p><p>Levi’s already tearing away your armor and your undershirts so that your torso is bare to him. An angry, deep welt spurting bright red blood decorates your right side. His sewing tools are right next to him, but even he’s nervous about this. This was meant to be done by a medic. Not him.</p><p>He makes a decision. If he delays any longer, you’ll die in his arms. And he can’t have that, even if you think it’s <em>romantic.</em> </p><p>You try to speak. You try to tell him that it’s okay, you try to call his name. Possibly one last time. With a shuddering gasp and another series of coughs, blood dribbling down your chin, you try- “L-Levi. In a-another l-lifetime. I’d l-love you-”</p><p>“Shut up,” Levi hisses, pressing down on your wound with a clean towel, “Save your energy. Tell me tomorrow. Just <em>shut up</em>.”</p><p>Tears spring in your eyes. You don’t think there’s going to be a tomorrow. But at least you’d told him. You can be at peace with that. But you don’t want to die, not when you have a whole life to love Levi still left.</p><p>“This is gonna fuckin’ hurt. But you can take it, princess,” Levi murmurs, pulling his suturing thread and needles out, “Fight through it, princess.”</p><p>You scream at the first pierce of the needle and promptly black out from the pain. At least you won’t be able to feel the surely intense pain that this will bring, Levi thinks grimly. He makes sure you’re still breathing as he stitches you up.</p><p>He pretends that his hands don’t tremble.</p><p>“<b>Who did this to you</b>,” Levi whispers, pulling the final string of suturing through the needle and tearing it off. The wound is closed as cleanly as he could have done it, dried blood caked all over your torso. He gently washes your chest and your belly with a wet cloth, cleaning your neck and your face as well. Then, he wraps medical gauze around your belly, protecting the stitches and keeping them clean.</p><p>Levi doesn’t sleep, not until he knows you’ll make it through the night. He sits next to you in his bed, thumb stroking your cheek and his lips pressed to your forehead.</p><p>***</p><p>You don’t wake up until two evenings later, with a throbbing in your head and a searing pain on your right side. Levi hears you shifting immediately and he’s at your side in seconds.</p><p>Your eyes are wide when you see him, as if you can’t believe that you’re <em>alive</em>. </p><p>He wants to scold you. </p><p>“Don’t say anything,” Levi warns you, sitting at your feet and rubbing your ankles, “I stitched you up. You showed up here half dead.”</p><p>You recall the memory of his panic in his voice vaguely. Levi shifts on the bed, sitting on your right side and pressing his forehead to yours when you look at him.</p><p>“I have pain killers. But you need to eat something first before I give them to you.”</p><p>You nod, afraid to say something. Afraid that he might break if you do. You wince when you try to turn a little more and Levi pulls away instantly. </p><p>You almost cry at the loss of his touch. He steps away from the bed, bringing you some oatmeal and water. He feeds you silently, just a few spoonfuls, and gives you some medicine to take.</p><p>He’s quiet for a while, his eyes never leaving yours. “You scared the fuckin’ <em>shit </em>outta me,” Levi says hollowly. He presses his forehead to yours once more. “Thought you were gonna die on me. Die right in my arms. You always said that was romantic, right? You just always have to be right, don’t you? Except you were wrong. This time, you were wrong.”</p><p>It’s the most you’ve ever heard him speak at one time. </p><p>“<b>Who did this to you?</b>” Levi hisses, steel eyes boring into yours, “It was the Mad King wasn’t it? ‘M gonna kill him. And then take you far away from here.</p><p>“<b>If anything happened to you</b>,” Levi continues, “I’d burn this entire fuckin’ place to the ground to find you.”</p><p>Levi tilts your chin up by the hook of his index fingers to properly look at you. Dried blood is still matted in your hair, the scent of fear slick on your skin, but still- you look as pretty, as strong as ever. With your tired, sad eyes. He’s never seen your eyes look so sad and defeated.</p><p>He decides he never wants to see that look in your eyes again.</p><p>He presses a long kiss to your forehead before feeding you more bits of oatmeal and water. You fall asleep a little while after that, listening to Levi whisper to you about the places he’ll take you once you feel a little better and once he kills the Mad King once and for all.</p><p>His voice is your favorite lullaby.</p>
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